Multipurpose bag and method for making same

ABSTRACT

The multipurpose bag and method for making the same utilizes three pieces of substantially rectangular material that are cut, folded, and secured together to form a bag having an open top end and a closed bottom end. The bag is preferably formed from cotton, and includes cording material to form drawstrings. Handles for carrying the bag and are attached to the bag near the open top end. The bag is formed to be symmetric about central vertical planes, and a pair of flaps are provided to cover a pair of symmetrical outer pockets. A plurality of inner pockets are defined within the multipurpose bag, with the pockets being symmetrical and equally positioned therein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/192,232, filed Jun. 12, 2008.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to containers, and particularly to a multipurpose bag or purse for women of all ages to be utilized as a shopping bag, an overnight bag or the like, and further to a method of making the bag.

2. Description of the Related Art

Women often use purses or bags to carry personal items when they go shopping or traveling, for example, or simply for carrying items throughout their day-to-day activities. Bags and purses are well known in the art and come in a wide variety of styles and configurations, including purses and bags having specialized features to facilitate organization and secure storage of the items stored within.

Typically, such bags include various arrangements of pockets, compartments, closures and the like in order to separate, and thereby organize, items within the bag, and, further, to better secure items within the bag. Although some purses or bags include more than one compartment or pocket to help organize and secure such items, typical bags and purses include a large, central interior region, without further compartments or separation of items. Due to the convenience of this primary region, with its lack of separation of items and additional compartments, and further due to the fact that specialized pockets may not fit a particular item (for example, cellular telephones do not have a standard size, thus a cellular phone compartment in one bag may not be suitable to carry a particular phone), the items in purses, handbags and the like are often tangled and jumbled within the bag. Thus, a multipurpose bag and method for making the same solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The multipurpose bag includes three pieces of rectangular material, which are cut, folded, and then secured together to form a bag having an open top end and a closed bottom. The material is preferably cotton or the like, with cording used as drawstrings for the bag. Handles are attached to the bag adjacent the open top end for ease of carrying.

The bag is preferably formed, including the folds and stitching, symmetrically about a central axis. A pair of flaps are further provided, with each flap having a relatively long first end, which is attached to the bag adjacent the open top end, and a pointed end, which loosely extends to the closed bottom of the bag in order to protect a pair of symmetrical, outer pockets extending from the top end to the closed bottom. A plurality of inner pockets are formed inside the bag, with the pockets preferably being symmetrically and equidistantly positioned, with respect to one another, within the interior of the bag. Preferably, two pockets are positioned on each side surface of the exterior of the bag as well.

The method of forming the bag includes the steps of providing a first square material piece and a second square material piece, which preferably has dimensions matching dimensions of the first square material piece. The first square material piece is then peripherally joined to the second square material piece to form a single square material piece.

A third material piece is then provided and folded twice to form a substantially rectangular material piece having laterally opposed open and folded side edges, and opposed open top and bottom ends. Upper and lower triangular pieces are removed from the third material piece, with the upper triangular piece extending between the top end and an upper portion of the folded side edge, and the lower triangular piece extending between the bottom end and a lower portion of the folded side edge. The third material piece is unfolded once to form upper and lower V-shaped cutout portions.

A pair of diagonally opposed corners of the single square material piece are folded together such that a substantially square region is formed at the overlap thereof. The third material piece is then stitched to the folded single square material piece such that the third material piece is positioned on an opposite face of the single square material piece from the substantially square region.

The third material piece is then stitched between vertices of the V-shaped cutout portions to define first and second pairs of interior pockets. The third material piece and the folded single square material piece are folded about a central fold line and side edges of the folded third material piece and the folded single square material piece are stitched together to form the multipurpose bag having an open upper end and a closed lower end. The bag is then turned inside out to hide the stitching and position the pockets in the interior thereof.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a multipurpose bag according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of first and second square pieces of material, secured together to form a single material piece in order to form the multipurpose bag according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the folding of a third piece of material to form the multipurpose bag according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the third piece of material of FIG. 3, unfolded with pockets cut from the material, to form the multipurpose bag according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the single material piece of FIG. 2 being folded to form the multipurpose bag according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the folded material piece of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the folded single material piece of FIG. 5, particularly illustrating the third material piece stitched thereto.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the stitched single material piece and the third material piece.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an interior face of the multipurpose bag according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the multipurpose bag according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the multipurpose bag according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a section view along lines 12-12 of FIG. 11.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows the multipurpose bag, generally designated as 10 in the drawings, which is formed by a method described in detail hereinafter. The multipurpose bag 10 is preferably symmetric, both on the interior and the exterior, about a longitudinally extending vertical plane (when in the vertical orientation shown in FIG. 1).

Preferably, the exterior sides, as shown, are substantially square, and the bag has an open top end 11 and a closed bottom end 12. As best shown in FIG. 1, a side flap 14 is provided on the exterior of the bag 10 for covering an external pocket 16. As noted above, the bag 10 is formed symmetrically, so although only a single side flap 14 is shown on the left side of bag 10 in FIG. 1, it should be understood that a similar flap and pocket are formed on the right, hidden side (in FIG. 1) of bag 10.

As shown, the side flap 14 preferably is a substantially triangular, with a horizontal side (in the orientation of FIG. 1) or base of the triangular flap 14 being stitched or otherwise secured along top stitch line 18, covering an opening of the pocket 16. The side pocket 16 preferably extends the entire longitudinal width of the bag 10, and the vertex of the triangular flap 14 is positioned (when in the closed position of FIG. 1) adjacent the closed bottom end 12. Additionally, a pair of handles 20, 21, which may be formed from cloth or any desired fabric or textile material, are stitched or otherwise secured to the bag 10 respectively on either side of the open top end 11. Preferably, each handle is stitched on and between stitch line 18 and the open top stitch line 22. As will be described in greater detail below, stitch lines 18, 22 form a passage 24 for receiving cording 26, 27. Cording 26, 27 is pulled and tightened to close the open top end 11 of bag 10, similar to conventional drawstrings. As shown, cording 26, 27 may have wooden beads 28, 29 affixed thereto, or any other desired decorative elements, which also serve to provide a gripping surface for the user. The wooden beads 28, 29 have holes formed therethrough for receiving the respective ends of cording 26, 27, which may then be knotted. Beads 28, 29 further prevent the cording from accidentally being pulled through the passage 24 (or passage 25, similarly, which is formed opposite passage 24 on the right side of the bag 10).

Bag 10 may be formed from any desired material, including any desired cloth, fabric or textile, such as, for example, cotton. Cotton may be used for both the exterior of bag 10 as well as the interior lining thereof. Bag 10 may be sized and shaped dependent upon the needs and desires of the user. Exemplary dimensions for bag 10 include side panels (and matching interior linings) having a width of approximately thirty-six inches. The material may have any desired color or pattern, and it should be understood that bags 10 may be manufactured in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors, patterns and styles.

As shown in FIG. 2, first material piece 30, which is preferably square (and may have the exemplary dimensions given above, i.e., thirty-six inches along each side), is stitched to a matching second material piece 31 along outer stitch line 32. Outer stitch line is preferably located approximately one-quarter to one-third of an inch (for the exemplary dimensions given above) from edge 33 of the aligned material pieces 30, 31. The first and second material pieces 30, 31 are joined together by stitching or the like to form a single material piece, generally indicated as 34.

An opening 35 having a width of between approximately five and six inches (using the exemplary dimensions given above) is formed in order to allow the user to reach inside the material piece 34 and turn the material 34 inside out. This step leaves a single material piece 34 having the stitching 32 and edges 33 visible only on the interior. Following this step, a temperature set iron is used to press the material piece 34, and the opening 35 is then stitched closed, preferably with the stitching being relatively hidden.

FIG. 3 illustrates the preparation of a third piece of material 36. As will be described in greater detail below, the third piece of material 36 forms the interior of bag 10, including interior pockets. Using the exemplary dimensions given above for the single material piece 34, the third piece of material 36 is preferably cut into a rectangular piece, having a width of approximately twenty-four and one-half inches and a length of approximately thirty-four and one-eighth inches. Piece 36 is then folded in half to form a rectangular piece having dimensions of seventeen inches by twenty-four and one-half inches. Piece 36 is folded a second time to form a rectangular piece having dimensions of eight and one-half inches by twelve inches. This twice-folded piece is illustrated in FIG. 3.

Side edge 38 remains open, and has a continuous length of approximately twelve inches. A measurement of approximately three inches is made from side edge 38 (measured from left to right in FIG. 3), and a similar measurement of five and one-half inches is made from upper edge 39 (from top to bottom in FIG. 3). Corner 41 is then folded down to form a triangular flap 42 (the flap, post-folding, is shown in dashed lines), with corner 41 being positioned three inches to the right (in the orientation of FIG. 3) of edge 38, and five and one-half inches below edge 39. The triangular flap 42 is then cut and removed along base 43 to form pockets in the interior of the bag 10. A similar folding and removal is formed at the bottom.

In FIG. 4, the third piece of material 36 is unfolded, following the cuttings for pockets. As noted above, the material piece 36 was twice folded. In FIG. 4, following the cutting, the piece is only unfolded once, thus leaving folded side edge 40 and open side edge 38. The cutting and removal of flap 42 forms V-shaped cutouts in the top and bottom, as shown, and the folded surfaces are stitched along the V-shaped cutouts (along stitch lines 44, 45, as shown) to form a pair of pockets. As described above with regard to the single material piece 34, the piece 36 is then turned inside out and pressed. The open side 38 is then machine top stitched shut, preferably approximately a third of an inch from the edge of the open side 38.

In FIG. 5, the folding of the single material piece 34 (of FIG. 2) is illustrated. Piece 34 is positioned such that corners 46, 47 are horizontally opposed and corners 48, 49 are vertically opposed. Corner 46 is then folded left to right (in the orientation of FIG. 5), as indicated by arrow 50, to reach line 52 (which is preferably approximately one-third of the diagonal width of piece 34 from corner 47). Corner 47 is similarly folded right to left, as indicated by arrow 51, to line 53, which is similarly positioned. Thus, material 34 is folded approximately into thirds.

As shown in FIG. 6, the folded material 34 forms a square 54 in a central region thereof. This central square region 54 is initially pinned along stitch line 55. Next, folded material 34 is turned over, so that central square region 54 faces downwardly (this downward face will form the exterior of bag 10).

As shown in FIG. 7, the piece 34 and the piece 36 are next stitched together. The third piece of material 36 is laid on the upwardly facing side of piece 34 (opposite the pinned square region 54). The third piece of material 36 and the folded material 34 are then pinned together, with the third piece of material 36 being positioned to face upward (as shown). This upward face will form the interior of the bag 10. Next, the pieces 34, 36 are pinned together adjacent edges 39, and the pieces are stitched together along stitch line 56, extending across the vertices of the V-shaped cutouts. Following this stitching, the square region 54 on the underside is stitched along stitch line 55, being careful not to sew together the pockets that are forming.

The upper and lower triangular portions of FIG. 7 form flaps 14, 15. With regard to FIG. 8, the flaps 14, 15 are folded to form passages 24, 25, with corners 47, 48 pointing toward centerline 57. Stitch lines 58, 59 are then sewn, approximately two and one-half inches from the upper and lower edges, respectively, and then seams 60, 61 are sewn approximately one inch from folded edges 62, 63, respectively. This stitching forms passages 24, 25, which may then receive cording 26, 27.

As shown in FIG. 9, the material is then folded along centerline 57 so that the flaps 14, 15 touch each other and the interior material 36 is exposed. At this point, stitch line 56 divides the pair of pockets 64 and 65. With the material pieces 34 and 36 folded in half, the left inner side seam 66 is machine sewn, as is the right inner side seam 67. The bag 10 is inside out at this point in the process, and handles 20, 21 are next attached.

Handles 20, 21 are preferably twenty-six inches long and one inch wide each, using the exemplary dimensions given above. Each end of the handles 20, 21 is stitched approximately four and one-half inches from the respective seam 66, 67. Additionally, the ends of the handles 20, 21 are sewn on the same stitch lines 58, 59 and 60, 61, respectively, as the seams for the passages 24, 25.

Following the stitching, the cording 26, 27 can be pulled through the respective passages, and the ends can be inserted through wooden beads 28, 29 and knotted. With the handles attached and the stitching completed, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the bag 10 may be turned inside out, as in FIG. 11, to form the completed bag 10. FIG. 11 shows the other outside pocket 17, with flap 15 being raised to the handle 21.

FIG. 12 illustrates the interior of bag 10, showing the inner pockets 64, 65 and 68, 69. As shown, the inner pockets 64, 65 and 68, 69, are formed so that there are two pockets formed on either side. This permits the placing of different items in each pocket, allowing for organization of differing types of items. Outer pockets 16, 17 are further formed to provide further organization and retention of personal items, with flaps 14, 15 covering the exterior pockets 16, 17.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A method of making a multipurpose bag, comprising the steps of: providing a first square piece of material; providing a second square piece of material having dimensions matching dimensions of the first square piece of material; peripherally joining the first square piece to the second square piece to form a single square piece of material; providing a third piece of material and folding the third piece twice to form a substantially rectangular piece of material having laterally opposed open and folded side edges and opposed open top and bottom ends; removing upper and lower triangular pieces from the third material piece, the upper triangular piece extending between the top end and an upper portion of the folded side edge, the lower triangular piece extending between the bottom end and a lower portion of the folded side edge; unfolding the third piece of material once to form upper and lower V-shaped cut-out portions; folding a pair of diagonally opposed corners of the single square piece of material together so that a substantially square region is formed at the overlap thereof; stitching the third piece to the folded single square piece so that the third material piece is positioned on an opposite face of the single square piece from the substantially square region; stitching the third piece between vertices of the V-shaped cutout portions to define first and second pairs of interior pockets; folding the third piece and the folded single square piece about a central fold line; stitching side edges of the folded third piece and the folded single square piece together to form a multipurpose bag having an open upper end and a closed lower end; and turning the multipurpose bag inside out.
 2. The method of making a multipurpose bag as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of peripherally joining the first square piece to the second square piece to form the single square piece comprises stitching the first square piece to the second square piece, an opening being formed therebetween.
 3. The method of making a multipurpose bag as recited in claim 2, further comprising the step of turning the single square piece inside out following the stitching thereof.
 4. The method of making a multipurpose bag as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of stitching the third piece along the upper and lower V-shaped cut-out portions following the unfolding thereof.
 5. The method of making a multipurpose bag as recited in claim 4, wherein the step of folding the pair of diagonally opposed corners of the single square piece together includes folding each of the corners about a fold line positioned at approximately one-third the diagonal distance from the respective corner.
 6. The method of making a multipurpose bag as recited in claim 5, further comprising the step of stitching the substantially square region following the step of stitching the third piece between the vertices of the V-shaped cutout portions.
 7. The method of making a multipurpose bag as recited in claim 6, further comprising the step of folding upper and lower portions of the folded single square piece to form first and second flaps, prior to the step of folding the third piece and the folded single square piece about the central fold line.
 8. The method of making a multipurpose bag as recited in claim 7, further comprising the step of forming first and second passages adjacent respective folded edges of the first and second flaps.
 9. The method of making a multipurpose bag as recited in claim 8, further comprising the step of threading first and second cords through the first and second passages to form a pair of drawstrings for the multipurpose bag.
 10. The method of making a multipurpose bag as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of attaching first and second handles to the multipurpose bag, each said handle being secured to the multipurpose bag adjacent a respective one of the first and second passages.
 11. A multipurpose bag, comprising: first and second side panels secured together to form a bag having an open upper end, a closed lower end and an open interior region, each of the first and second side panels having an inner face and an outer face; first and second pairs of interior pockets formed on the respective inner faces of the first and second side panels; first and second pairs of exterior pockets formed on the respective outer faces of the first and second side panels; and first and second flaps, each of the flaps being attached to respective upper edges of the first and second side panels for selectively covering the first and second pairs of exterior pockets.
 12. The multipurpose bag as recited in claim 11, wherein first and second passages are formed adjacent the respective upper edges of said first and second side panels, the multipurpose bag further comprising first and second drawstring cords respectively received through the first and second passages.
 13. The multipurpose bag as recited in claim 12, further comprising first and second handles respectively secured to the upper edges of said first and second side panels. 